The science of operant conditioning is explored in David Marmor’s 2020 psychological thriller, 1BR—specifically, the movie’s main character, Sarah, undergoes the process as an attempt to brainwash her.
Horror movies have long been established as a place for society to safely explore collective fears in a safe location. 1BR follows a long line of modern movies such as Get Out, The Hunt, and other social thrillers that stick to the pulse of what scares people most. More often than not, these fears are related to themes of societal woes, how technology is slowly taking over humanity, or how the friendly neighbors in an apartment complex may not be exactly as they seem. In 1BR, Sarah (Nicole Brydon Bloom) leaves her family behind after her mother’s death, unable to cope with her father’s extra-marital affairs while her mom was suffering. After a viewing for a one-bedroom apartment in what seems to be a friendly, welcoming complex, she ends up being accepted as a tenant. Brian (Giles Matthey)—a young man around her age to whom she’s attracted—says that he put in a good word for her.
However, it turns out that Sarah is really just one of many—the whole complex, in fact—that have been drawn in by Jerry (Taylor Nichols) who studied under Charles D. Ellerby (Curtis Webster), a psychologist who had strong beliefs that certain principles could change and heal society, and lead to a better sense of neighborly community. These principles established by Ellerby seem simple and harmless enough: selflessness, openness, acceptance, and security. However, when taught to a person by using methods of operant conditioning, it can become something far more harmful. After the procedure is complete, the new tenant is wholly focused on establishing themselves as one of the cult, fitting into whatever role the group deems useful and losing all sight of themselves in the process. Though it seems stranger than fiction, the science behind operant conditioning is very real—and it works.
Are brainwashing and operant conditioning the same thing? Yes and no. Some psychologists and researchers suggest there are correlations between the techniques used in a variety of different conditioning methods—including operant conditioning—but ultimately, it happens due to a variety of factors, and the process itself isn’t necessarily dangerous on its own. After all, operant and classical conditioning are used in a variety of different ways. If someone has ever trained a dog, they’ve likely used operant conditioning. While most are familiar with the work of Pavlov and his dogs, this method of behavior shaping is slightly different than operant conditioning, and is known as classical conditioning. In classical conditioning, Pavlov took an involuntary response—dogs salivating—and paired it with a cue, the sound of a ringing bell that’s connected to something that prompts the response. In Pavlov’s case, the ringing bell accompanied food. Over time, the mere sound of the bell would get the dogs to salivate. This is known as conditioning.
The work of B.F. Skinner built on this principle with operant conditioning, which uses choices—guided by the use of either positive or negative reinforcement—to condition a behavior. In operant conditioning, the targeted behavior can be taught to either increase or decrease depending on the desired result. For Sarah, she was prompted to put her hands on two specifically allocated spots on a wall, then placed in what was called a “stress” position; her body was perpetually in a state of discomfort. She was told that she could only remove her hands from that spot when the lights went off; otherwise, she’d be violently punished. This is negative reinforcement.
In operant conditioning, the behavior—Sarah keeping her hands on the wall—is guided by either positive or negative reinforcement. To achieve the desired behavior, which was compliance, she was forced to follow the light cue. Just like when training a dog, a command is paired with either punishment or reward—such as a treat for sitting when asked—and repeated until it becomes a reliable behavior or conditioned response. Though Jerry’s technique in 1BR utilized other stimuli to brainwash Sarah, like loud music and flickering lights, the base concept can be just as terrifying as the horror movie.
